A latex is a stable dispersion (e.g., emulsion) of polymer particles, for example microparticles, in an aqueous medium. Latex solutions are valuable in many different applications. In one example, latex solutions can be used as a component of drilling fluids (e.g., water-based mud) used for drilling into and extracting material from subterranean formations. In one example, tar generated by subterranean formations can form emulsions in drilling fluid that are difficult and costly to separate. By adding a latex solution to drilling fluids, the tar can become encapsulated by the latex, mitigating tar accretion and screen blinding, and significantly decreasing the difficulty of separating the tar from the materials removed from the wellbore. In other examples, latex solutions can modify the viscosity of the drilling liquid or of a cement solution.
When a latex solution is dried, the polymer particles often cannot be easily redispersed to form a latex solution. Therefore, generally latex is shipped as an aqueous solution with over 50 weight percent of the material being water, which can cause shipping costs to be high. In addition, freezing a latex solution generally causes the latex emulsion to break, after which the polymer particles often cannot be easily redispersed to re-form a latex solution. When drilling and cementing are to occur at locations that experience below-freezing temperatures, the latex solution must be heated to prevent freezing, which can be expensive.